if you're just joining us a very warm welcome to you this is r.t. live from moscow and these are the stories that shape this week western nations inching closer to military interference in the syrian conflict with plans to set up a no fly zone and threats to war through eyes a strike on the country. norwegian mass killer anders breivik declared sane gets twenty one years in prison dollars and islam agenda serves as inspiration for an even more radical groups. a scandal that unites muslims and jews in anger after a german rabbi charged for performing a circumcision despite a recent court. and britain withdraws its threat to go into the ecuadorian

embassy and arrest julian assange by force this after a block of south and north american nations side with quito in the diplomatic route . by now we have traveled to remote villages in russia's north to examine the intricate structure of ancient churches and their culture. can you just quickly tell me if this is all because i can't see without my glasses. something. is that his that you think little of. the future because. there are two churches the church. and then the names if. my name is richard davis i'm an architectural photographer from london.

and i've been traveling in russia for the last ten years on a project to photograph wooden churches. i knew that you know to do a proper book you needed time you didn't create a book in a fortnight. you need a subject that you really believe in obviously i fell in love with the chances they are extraordinary objects that beautiful of lives.

her. i'm going to read something here that bridget shots liberated in the sixteenth century here didn't intend to come to russia he was actually looking for the northeast passage that there was a big storm of the ended up in the white sea and this is what he he wrote about the churches he said they church is a built of timber and the towers of the churches for the most part are covered with

shingle boards at the doors of the churches they usually build some engines so full of shit as we do. we just arrived to put in a map i can show you our colleagues relaxing food in the coach here in the foreground hey we've all had a really good journey there was there was wonderfully some its form of. it.

was dated so. st nicholas the miracle worker was the patron saint of all white seam our nurses

and explorers they certainly needed his protection and indeed had it as they braved the perils of rough seas making their way from village to village all those death haunts each time they head out to sea or reconcile it with the thought that they may be unable to come back for that reason they have a totally different perception of space compared to people living far from the shore buildings on the white sea coast are filled with a keen sense of life that's typical of people living in the north. here's some more graffiti on the wall more lovers and it might this is a big space we can see there and on the wall here you can see where there were project of the host of the project so this was obviously used as the club and the cinema during soviet times so i guess there would have been

a big screen where the where the icon of stuff is was. and this is in a pretty bad state as well. we've been to the church when i go trying to find somebody in the village who were maybe tell us something about the history of the church and hopefully find somebody who saw the film. in the church of the nativity . scene they did with the redheads go. in mind when something. happens. so you feel ready i just put it out i live a good three. so what did you do when you get out did you have a thought i know that i've got to put in the ocean but me. your job will go to all of the good which your thoughts flows it's not that much point that you know we're looking down on. you're ok ok. you're. propaganda back

then was focused against the church and everything it stood for communists and members of the young communist league were behind the campaign yet this church here was really the only suitable place for clubs people ganske here every weekend and a couple supposed down in one thousand nine hundred three. in the churches is a religious monument obviously but it's also an object of wonder you know it's something that people can look at and and opens their eyes that is.

what can be achieved by using your imagination and you know hopefully the religious activity will return but it still needs to be and still needs to be saved since the breakup of the soviet union obviously there have been other more important things to do with your money like buy ferraris and expensive watches and things like that but i think i'm hoping that people will wake up to the to the fact that these objects are precious and to me i need this. right fake a say when for venturing feeling to try face to face facing a long time face to face. his face frame of the file a smile for the camera fast. food there's a lot of waiting to do before we can be picked up the sea shore here is very very

sure other fish. thank you. i have a brother who's mentally handicapped and my mother spent her whole life trying to raise money to to support people who were mentally handicapped you know what my mother to that maybe i feel that i should be doing something to to support something that i think is worthwhile now i could say that my mother was an inspiration because i saw her you know devoting life to the cause that she had i haven't done that i've devoted my life to you know myself and my family and and other things but you know the reserving at heritage this is a little moment when it might be possible to make a tiny difference in

a tiny. tiny world of good intentions. were just having a little walk. in the village now you can see the house. and everything there's just one or one family in the village at the moment and they're just here for the summer my sign of life some very beautiful. and. and here you can see st nicholas church. it was built in the eight hundred twenty

s. today it serves as a reminder of the fate of many other russian wooden churches. back in the old days churches were form of spiritual support not only for the villages but also the whole surrounding area people used to flock to them on sundays and major holidays. it's fair to say that now the villages are dying in much the same way as the churches. such a british neighborhood is quite late it's built in the nineteenth century. since one foot in it so it stays seen this extraordinary village very beautiful that if.

i'm going to see. this is the said to have a trip and we've just. had lunch after seeing the church going to. captain is worried that it's getting too would be for us to move on and say we're sitting here lying on the rocks getting the sleep that we didn't get last night until. two pm that we will be able to continue. to. play we are we're on the edge of fear and you can just say.

it is to. be getting rougher and rougher here with at least. ten if you out of it. that would be enough to say that. it's a few feet any day with the wind. mission to teach.

destroy it here. here take this stick. remember no stand here looks like it's about a metre deep. you

will find here we see examples of early and late architecture standing side by side belfry serves as a connection between these two times it's all in harmony with the village. that raises the idea on the bus through a building a wooden church is like a writing's the whole a train stick with what do you know perfect work of poetry seems to involve much effort on the part of it's also brought in fact each verse takes a good deal of effort and so does each one of the logs that go into a wooden church but good at it i wouldn't churches are said to have no nails in them this is not a figure of speech it's simply the most convenient way of building a wooden church where the joints are very firm as a result of the fact that the logs way down on each other.

you know. what will keep out of you. again is. that after it was sam. construction. given the way this is where the collective farm stored its grain on. the pull down soon after the revolution. young people in the country believed in neither god nor the devil of the time you know he had other ideals. ropes would be fixed to the crowds of youngsters will pull up to bring the. roof would then be covered up to put on a church next door was used as a clubhouse throughout the years of soviet government you on.

stage. you can just. say. this is the view from the church. the clubhouse was brought into existence is a place where villages could get culture of a specific sought in clubhouses professional coach or a bought nicky coach or workers were charged with planning activities in the remote village areas including celebrations of the new soviet holidays dances plays agitation save your ideals and atheism and importantly keeping watch over excess in the failures of the co-ops. could be just to oversee a courtroom on the say how from

a short cut to the bay which. bush was in britain could even do a rift something away close. to the business for him to turn ok as i hope maybe. you're getting a little bit of the room thrown out. to see.

him and know you know you are the way to sort of be able to do the deed in. slow mo. your mum was. saying who did the own. learn to. show you go you know move oh my gosh. you. know three o'clock in the morning and we're looking for some food. we've been up. all night. the girls been singing beautiful songs so we've now come down to the

beach before we go to sleep for a couple of hours. as we're on the the island of condo ostroff which is part of the good life i thought i'd read something on the bolshoi sort of x.p. the main island of this white sea archipelago there is a fortified monastery it was founded in four hundred twenty nine until the nineteenth century this was the only official state prison in russia and house many important religious and historical figures these magnificent built for the glory of god witnessed monstrous events over hundreds of years the gulag archipelago the network of camps and stretched across a vast territory. started life on this move cluster of before island stepped in what soldiering its in right because a matter of. twenty

percent today without the recruits from the university went off to another church or the white suited. to a chance of seeing the people with the chest is being restored. and when did the chancel visit us a long time again sometime. yeah no one knows exactly. what. happened. if. you.

can. as you can see it's an absolutely wonderful church it's huge and and when i first came here it was in a terrible state and nobody seemed to be really interested in in restoring it or do any any wreckage to hear. that we met alexei sixteen whose mother is from the village and he's very involved in trying to restore the village and raise raise funds to going inside you can see that they are getting things you know it's looking much cleaner much nicer it's being tied it up but there is still a hell of a lot of work to do here in some ways all along if i you know if you. think you will miss this you pretty young of the fishing it was this need this

misfortune. this is the. school if. you there will be in the first eclipse of the species. caprice two feet of that we've only just started when it will be finished is scarce but i'm not doing it alone i couldn't have cut without help from the others. in fact i might have given up on it if this. if. it's. sympathy so. say can you just sign. this. it's serious serious differences in. her whose last years a good saying. faith will deal is death make

a high needs not should we need to finish the job if only for the sake of those kids sitting on the benches you when you have called as a book or a maid if they see we're trying to do something to restore this everlasting treasure. but you're good with us kids on the basis. of goodies i'm only doing what i think is right i'm not at to pursue any special goals just what i think is right. i'm sure some will say that i'm doing this without god's blessing. well if i think it's right under that somehow things of all was well thought out in the past month . just pound back. dominates the landscape in

a very very beautiful and not filled rush and i think it's going to. swing the camera around and. say. something opposite side of the bank. this is serious when you're rushing in on its glory. pastors. i mean i'm happy for them to carry this but i see. which flushes i feel. guilty i am.

being.